Cotton Field and Mainstay Lake get new Nursery Schools
─$20.4M Cotton Field Nursery caters for 100 children
─$9M Mainstay Lake Nursery caters for 50 children
─ Lake Mainstay children get Easter gifts
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, March 30, 2019
The Regional Administration of Pomeroon-Supenaam on Friday, March 29, commissioned two Nursery Schools within its region at Cotton Field and Lake Mainstay.
The commissioning ceremonies which were held separately began in the compound of the $20.4Million Cotton Field Nursery and saw the turnout of parents of children attending the school, Regional Officials and well-wishers.
Delivering the feature address was Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikaran who noted that the school now caters for the growing population within its catchment area.
“The extension and rehabilitation work done here at Cotton Field Nursery School are all within the broader framework of government’s agenda and that is, to ensure the environment in which our children learn is conducive. An educated nation is a rich nation and that is why your government will continue to invest in education because we have to become a rich nation. The space availability here now caters for 100 children which was necessary considering the growing population,” REO Jaikaran noted.
According to the Regional Education Officer (REdO) Nicola Mathews, the school is “extremely conducive to learning. Outside of the child-friendly environment that is before our eyes, I believe all teachers will want to come and teach here. I believe that the foundation once laid properly will guarantee better results in our primary and secondary schools and today we are commissioning a foundation school that will aid in the enhancement of the results of our primary and secondary schools.”
The overview of the project was given by the school’s headteacher Reshonna Welcome thanked the Regional Administration and the Government of Guyana for implementing the project. She explained that enrolment has increased over the years and the need for expansion was necessary. She said that in 2017, the school’s enrolment was 58. In 2018 and 2019 the admissions climbed to 71 and 75 respectively.
The work on the school was done by M. Sukhai Contracting Services and was completed in December of 2018, four months after commencement.
After commissioning the Cotton Field Nursery, the team moved to Lake Mainstay and officially opened the $9Million Nursery School there. The school has the capacity to house 50 students.
A similar ceremony like that at Cotton Field Nursery was held at the Lake Mainstay Nursery to mark the momentous occasion in the Indigenous community.
Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI), Village Toshao Milton Fredericks welcomed the recent development in his community.
“The development is very timely. It will serve our community well and allow our babies to learn in an environment that is good for them. The teachers can now do their teaching aids and hang it up and decorate their classroom and make it very welcoming for their children. I anticipate that this development will raise the standard of the education given to our school children and we will see better results at the various exams,” Fredericks said.
The school was constructed after strong representation from the community in 2018 and comes at a time when the government is focusing on improving the education level nationally.
At the end of the ceremony, every child received kites from the Regional Executive Officer. The distribution of the kites was done to mark Easter which will be celebrated on Monday, April 22.
Story and Images: Ganesh Mahipaul